Media mentions: Lynall on concussions; Burke on books

Blood test not all it’s made out to be

A new blood test that is said to help detect concussions is being fast-tracked for approval by the FDA—but its benefits are likely overstated, said a UGA researcher.

A new biomarker test is encouraging, said Robert Lynall, assistant professor and co-director of the Department of Kinesiology’s Concussion Research Lab, but it’s better suited for more significant brain injuries rather than identifying concussions.

Read the full story on Healthline.com.

Acknowledging the awkwardness of assigning your own book

Kevin Burke, an associate professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, recently added perspective to a story in the Chronicle of Higher Education regarding the issue of faculty who assign their own books to students.

While sometimes a book is written by a professor either based on their expertise in the field or to fill a gap in the available literature on the subject, Burke and others acknowledge the potential conflict of interest when royalties and other profits are considered. One way to avoid this is to simply be upfront with student issues from the start.

“Not acknowledging it as an awkward situation would make things worse,” he said. “I am modeling for our students how to talk about their own work.”

Read the full story on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s website.